"Brother Mo, do you know her?"

The girl who spoke was named Qianqian. With furrowed brows, she anxiously grabbed the corner sleeve of the boy in the middle who comforted her a moment ago.

The three turned around to confront the girl behind them. What greeted their sight was a pair of large watery eyes and pale skin, long wavy hair cascading down the girl's shoulders and a luxurious shimmering silk dress. She had the makings of a devastating beauty, if not for the large burn marks on her face marring her otherwise gorgeous appearance.

To bear such hideous scars, one really wondered what sort of misfortune this young lady went through.

Li Meirong quickly caught their assessing stare and covered her scarred features with both hands. Until now, she hadn't seen herself but she knew something wasn't quite right about her face just by the way everyone had commented and stared at.

The boy in the middle who was called brother Mo glanced at Qianqian bewildered, shook his head in response and addressed Li Meirong. "Hello, my name is Mo Cheng, this is my brother Mo Jing and my friend Shu Qianqian. And you are…?"

His voice was clean, clear, and still retained a childish tone. He bowed slightly as a show of respect, his brother and friend at his side copied his actions.

Li Meirong hastily bowed back in greeting.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you. My name is Li Meirong and I stumbled across this place accidentally. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation and was wondering if you could explain what's going on?" Li Meirong's voice was calm and serene, there was a tilt to her lips that appeared very charming.

Mo Cheng's brother scoffed as he heard her reply.

"Accidentally? How can you pass by here 'accidentally' when the only way to reach this place is through the Hundreds Beasts forest. Ordinary folk can't even dream of walking through!" The younger looking boy named Mo Jing frowned as he blurted out and stared at Li Meirong suspiciously.

Both Mo Cheng and Mo Jing had handsome looks, their features were almost exactly alike. Sharp straight eyebrows, bronze skin, high straight nose, and thin lips. They were both young but their physiques were already defined, showing signs of regular workouts.

Their personalities were what differed them. Mo Jing was more silent and brooding while Mo Cheng was cheerful and friendly, and Mo Jing had chubbier cheeks. He reminded Li Meirong of the cute pandas she used to love viewing at the zoo.

Mo Jing's response made Mo Cheng and Shu Qianqian stare questioningly at Li Meirong.

Her words sounded clearly like a lie. Even regular folks daring enough to come here had to hire experts at a high price just to pass through the woods. Most of the people who managed to attend Forgotten Waters sect's disciples' acceptance ceremony were from prominent families who have had assistance since birth in improving their cultivation in order to support their journey to reach this very mountain.

Li Meirong's eyes widened. The forest region she woke at seemed friendly enough but the further she ventured, the more frightening it became. However, no harm befell her whatsoever, except for those pesky bugs biting her, she was safe and sound.

Detecting their suspicions, she chose not to tell them about the brothel events. Using her accumulated knowledge of the previous body's life experience which her soul transmigrated into, she came up with a small lie. "I was serving at the royal court as a maid, but I ended up being expelled and was deserted in the forest as punishment. It was really a stroke of coincidence and luck that I managed to get here." She explained hastily while still bowing, her tone tinged with fear. Li Meirong bowed a little lower, averting her gaze.

To Mo Cheng, Li Meirong seemed interesting, but also a little strange. She didn't give off a hostile feeling though, so he decided to take her word for it.

Actually, such occurrences were common for servants. It could even be considered light punishment. To let fate decide what would happen to a servant that had acted wrongly instead of the masters inflicting the punishment themselves.

However...Li Meirong certainly did not dress as a servant and her features, although marred were very striking. The group was still a bit suspicious of her, but Mo Cheng was the best at reading other people despite being the more approachable one of the three, and Li Meirong seems like a pleasant person from his perspective.

"Don't worry! Since you made it here, perhaps this is all a play of fate." Mo Cheng's smile was wide and inviting, showing that he accepted her and reached his hand to help Li Meirong rise up.

Qianqian huffed as she saw the interaction between the two.

Why is her brother Mo becoming so friendly with this stranger?!

Mo Jing was silent but his eyes remained shrewd as he kept assessing Li Meirong.

Since Mo Cheng accepted her, Mo Jing and Shu Qianqian did not refute his decision.

Li Meirong smiled gratefully and kept quiet, hoping to integrate into the group.

They walked together in a row as the line progressed.

"Since you came by accident, I will explain briefly. In front of us lies the entrance to one of the most world-renowned sects, the Forgotten Waters Sect. It was built around 2,000 years ago and is known as one of the oldest sects that has maintained its prestige through the centuries. To become a disciple here, one would need, in most cases, not only a strong internal foundation but also a lot of luck! The sect only accepts disciples once every fifty years and the testing location is completely random. Many prominent families build connections just so they can find the acceptance point for the sect as soon as it's revealed. If you do manage to reach the acceptance point, you must pass a series of tests before you are actually accepted. The first test is treading through the dangerous part of the Hundreds Beast forest. The second exam is testing your spiritual aptitude. If you have no aptitude, your qualification would be immediately eliminated. The stronger your spiritual root, the higher the odds are for you to have a better status in the sect and possibly be accepted as a direct disciple under a master. Unfortunately, the examination doesn't end there because, after the spiritual root test, we must all descend down this mountain and survive for three days in the wild lands. A randomly chosen region filled with spiritual beasts, poisonous plants and other foul creatures roaming freely." Mo Cheng explained thoroughly explained with avid enthusiasm.

"That part would be the hardest, you see…most potential disciples lose their lives on the first day. Despite all this, I can't imagine a person that wouldn't want to join, the moment you are accepted, your life starts anew. They say the path to immortality is fraught with danger, but the rewards are treasures beyond our wildest dreams.." He continued his explanation, his tone was light and clear.

Li Meirong listened attentively the whole time, but she felt her back sweating near the end of Mo Cheng's speech.

Why is everything so dangerous here?! I just want a peaceful life!

Standing still, Li Meirong lost her conviction. She wanted to be strong so she could take care of herself in this new land, but let's be honest, Li Meirong came here by accident. She knows nothing about cultivation or internal strength. The little self-defence moves she knows couldn't even count for basic martial arts.